On Wednesday, Wolf Blitzer and CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television” took their vapid approach to journalism to a new level when reporter Jeanne Moos satirized demonstrations against the war in Iraq.

Tongue and cheek reports are Moos’ specialty, but the idea that CNN would sic her on a demonstration against a war that is so serious, and has claimed so many thousands of lives is further proof that journalism — and integrity — is all but dead on commercial television news. See for yourself:

On Wednesday, thousands of people across the country took to the streets to decry the war that has caused at least 82,000 Iraqi civilian casualties, claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 American soldiers, and injured at least 29,000 more.

CNN’s response? Cover it like a circus, give the pro-war protester as much airtime as her opponents even though she is outnumbered 250 to 1, and get right back to the current object of their obsession: horse-race style coverage of US elections, soft news and satire. Pew released a report last week showing that US media coverage of the war in Iraq is dropping sharply along with public awareness of what’s actually happening in Iraq.

Most Americans are scarcely aware of the grisly reality of this war: what it really looks like, what it feels like for those fighting it, and what it’s implications are on our economy, our society, and the world. That’s because such complex information is missing from TV news: the place where majorities of Americans go for their primary news and information.

Wake up CNN. There’s a war going on and it needs to be reported with the same seriousness that an American or Iraqi mother feels when her child comes home in a body bag.

There is an election, with millions of Americans who want to know where candidates actually stand on issues and how their voting records match their rhetoric; not how the comments of an outside supporter will affect this or that demographic.

Television news is a wasteland, and it’s not just FOX. And if we don’t fix it, we might as well just kiss our democracy goodbye.

– by Josh Silver

Popularity: 2% [?]

It’s tongue _in_ cheek. Just so you know.

Cut to Mr Blitzer after the reports runs

“Thanks for that ‘uplifting’ report on those ‘crazy’ protesters Jeanne. After all who wants to see pictures of thousands of dead people right? Dismembered bodies are bad for ratings So… we here at the worlds number one source for propaganda will continue to work hard to never show you the true pain, suffering and horror of WAR…When we we return to the ‘Situation Room’ we’ll have a report about a rodent that water skis…right after this message from our wonderful sponsor, Lockeed Martin, where they say… “We’re Lockeed Martin,we build bombs, so you won’t have to” (Que Announcer)

“CNN… Omitting the truth for over 7 years now”

I am the mother of a U.S. soldier in Iraq. He is unable to tell us much via e-mail (it is monitored by the Army) but he hints that they is much going on and he is in the midst of it. He keeps telling us to watch the news. Well we do and find almost nothing about the war. It is as if the media is bored with it at this point and moved on to other things. I think it is an outrage that they are not doing their job to broadcast daily from Iraq what is going on. The American people need to see it and be reminded of it every day!